They have been around as long as humans have walked this earth and throughout history many honoring poems, stories, pictures and songs have been dedicated to them. They are the foundation and cornerstone of our civilization, and even though there are many, often going by different names, they are all classified as the one we call “mother!”
What does motherhood stand for? To fully comprehend what it means, and to understand the philosophy and lifestyle that comes with being a mother, one has to be one. It is easy to describe all the actions mothers do and the different scenarios they go through with their kids, but to actually understand the reasoning, sacrifices and feelings that are paired with their events is more intricate then what meets the eye.

Mothers have many responsibilities which start at conception. The pregnant woman has to take care of her health so she will give birth to a healthy baby. Once the infant is born, she takes care of the physical and emotional needs of her child, teaches knowledge, values, confidence and faith, acts as a counselor or nurse, and stands by her child as long as she can. In fact, motherhood does not end when the child becomes independent and leaves the home, but the unconditional love and devotion will carry on throughout an entire lifespan.

Working mothers and stress

With every new era, another set of challenges arises, and today’s times are not any different. Actually, they are tougher and more expensive than ever before, making it is virtually impossible to raise a family on just one income. This means that, to be able to pay all the bills and put food on the table, many women also have to seek employment.
Because of the financial constraints many families are facing today, and a higher rate of divorced or widowed mothers who are not receiving child support, an increasing number of women are forced to juggle both the roles of mother and employee. Their decision to work whilst bringing up children is not an easy one, but these women often feel they have no other choice.
Employed mothers have to deal with a lot of stress. On one hand, they may feel they are letting their children down, because they are not always available to take care of their children the way stay-at-home mothers do. On the other hand, they may also feel restricted in their career and miss out on promotions, because they cannot work the long hours their colleagues do. If they do not have a supportive partner, they can indeed be considered handicapped, as they may have to leave work at specific times to pick up the child(ren) from the babysitter, childcare or school, and may require extra time off when the offspring is sick.
Many working mothers have a difficult time balancing their routine activities, and end up in a conflicting situation, which most likely will lead to stress. To confront, and fight their anxiety, these mothers have to first identify their stressors and then find ways to eliminate them. This may be as simple as cooking bigger meals and freezing half to be used at a later date, or making a shopping list and itinerary before heading out the door. Planning and prioritizing often are effective time savers.
The most negative impact working mothers have to deal with is the lack of personal time. Just taking one hour a week to themselves to exercise, read or take a relaxing bath can make a world of difference. If you are one of these busy mothers… just take a minute, and think about it!